In 1981 Ian Ruff (our esteemed president), designed a fly which he named the Raider. With numerous versions he trialled the fly extensively on the reservoirs of the Midlands and Wales, along with a number of smaller waters. Employing different colour variations according to the conditions, it proved to be very successful and fellow competition anglers soon noticed that Ian had something special on his hands, especially when he cleaned up in the 1985 & 1986 Benson & Hedges com

Vicuna dubbing is very kindly offering a 10% discount to our members. Just quote GUILD10 on your orders. If you wish to contact them direct their e-mail is team@vicunadubbing.co.uk or through their website; www.vicunadubbing.co.uk. Our Secretary Phil tying on the Vicuna Dubbing stand at this years BFFI.

Another cracking Bob Wyatt pattern and dead simple to tie. If you haven’t read either of his books I thoroughly recommend them; Trout Hunting: The Pursuit of Happiness (great title). What Trout Want. I am a big fan of the Grey Duster (who isn’t!), both traditional and parachute style, so an emerger version seemed an obvious choice for my fly box. Hook – Partridge K4AY-SE or Kamasan B100, size 12 - 16 Thread – Shear 14/0 primrose Body – Grey hare Wing – Golden badger Tie in th

The quintessential ‘trout ammo’, a term coined by Bob Wyatt for his selection of flies which features on the DVD ‘Flies That Catch Fish’. Not only quick to tie, but a cracking catcher of fish and a mainstay of many fly boxes. This is my version tied on a size 14. Hook – Partridge K4AY – SE sizes 12 – 16 Thread – Shear 14/0 in olive Body – Light olive hare Thorax – Dark olive hare Wing – Coastal Deer Hair. Deer hair is a bit of a minefield with many different types and each ha

I like 'system flies', where the design stays the same but materials are interchangeable according to the conditions, or your mood! This fly is a perfect example of that. A variation of a pattern from a ‘Fly Tying Academy’ DVD by ‘Fish On Productions’. As it is tied by John Tyzack, who was the English national rivers champion six times, I think that is a pretty fair recommendation. It can be tied with a variety of materials to suit you. Hook – Kamasan B401 size 12 – 18 Thread

As a guide to fishing a completely new water, I would always consult the wardens or bailiffs as to what the fish have been feeding on recently and productive areas. Hiring a boat is probably a good idea to start to learn a new water, all fishable areas are easily accessible, allowing mental notes of features, points, bays etc. Various depths, areas popular with bank anglers. An absolute essential piece of kit if available, is a small map of the reservoir, which will usually

Another fly that is very effective and simple to tie, especially appropriate if you have read Ian's moving tribute to Bob who recently passed away. Original Recipe Hook – Kamasan B400 sizes 10, 12 or 14 Thread – Black Body – Green wool (originally from the jumper he was wearing, teased out) Rib – Gold round tinsel Hackle – Red game – trimmed flush Wing – White hackle tips A Claret variation Hook - Kamasan B401 size 14 Thread - Shear 14/0 claret Rib - Silver tinsel size 16 Abd

Back in the early 80’s at Grafham their were a group of good mates who fished regularly and shared time in the Wheatsheaf , West Perry, discussing the great sport we were all enjoying. Little did we realise it at the time but there was indeed something special going on between us . We couldn’t have realised back then that what we were sharing was to have had such a lasting impression on Reservoir fishing. John Moore started the ball rolling by introducing his Hopper dry fly